Snowy Mountains Readers and Writers Festival.

Picture the village of Thredbo. Lush green mountains right in your face, everywhere you look a profusion of purple, yellow and white bush flowers, green stunning mammoth hill capped with a light dusting of snow.

The smell of the Australian bush, the light pitter patter of families out in the sunshine enjoying lightly populated footpaths and roads on push bikes or on foot.

Herein was the scene for this years’ Snowy Mountains Readers and Writers Festival held in Thredbo 7 – 9 November. A three day Thredbo festival for aspiring writers with breakfasts, lunches, dinners or evening drinks that visitors could pop into and join.

Some events commanded a small price to attend, such as poetry and writing workshops, but largely sessions were free, small intimate affairs.

Book clubs. Up close with the authors

For girls who love reading and writing, this is the stuff we can only dream about, and the sound of muffled kicking was me kicking myself under the table for not suggesting it earlier to book club mates. We could have chosen, say, one of Karen Viggers novels before we all headed down to pepper her with questions. Or any of the other authors, Peter Fitzsimons, Sulari Gentill. We could have been all over this like a rash.

Attendee numbers varied, depending on the event. If you were interested in writing your own novel or memoir, this was the Thredbo festival for you.

Up Close With Your Favourite Authors (Karen Viggers)

Friday night’s dinner saw more than 60, Saturday night over 50. It was a meeting of the minds and of the intelligentsia.

But it’s the smaller, more intimate gatherings that held my attention for the potential that could be had. Saturday morning, one of the lodges opened up for an intimate question and answer session with Peter Fitzsimons about his new book, Gallipoli.

Saturday afternoon the same lodge became a forum for Q and A time about the landscape in setting the place and scene for a piece of writing. The use of light. The influences on writing in terms of one’s own experiences or politics. It was an absolute aspiring writer’s dream.

Don’t Wait Til Next Year

Currently Thredbo may see this particular readers and writers festival every second year but seriously, why wait for this? Book a girls weekend away or a few days during the week in Thredbo with your book club and have an absolute ball. Sit next to the Thredbo River in the sun and discuss your latest novel while the river roars by invitingly.

Pull up the BBQ right next to the river for lunch, or if you just want to be waited on, head to the Central Road Cafe in the plaza for a casual lunch. For dinner, I’ve never had a bad steak meal at Bernti’s, and it has an aesthetically pleasing backdrop (think Provence in France) of purple Wisteria flushed with greenery. Or enjoy a champagne cheers (clink clink) on the balcony of The Denman at the thought that you’re away having a small break from the routines of life (bye honey, back soon).

Cheaper than heading to the real Provence. This is Bernti’s in summer.

So many places to lie in the sun in between book discussions, drinks and meals. Smell that unique Australian bush smell, listen to the birds.

Be inspired by the Snowy Mountains, the landscape, the light and the sounds. Walk over the bridges around the villages, go for a bushwalk. Who knows, you may start that novel after all. Or just be inspired to book to come back to Thredbo again.

For an awesome place to stay with a group of friends from your book club, contact the Lantern Thredbo Apartments. They have a range of 1- 4 star self-contained apartments so you can all stay together and talk into the night and share breakfast or make bread rolls for lunch.

Or if you prefer ‘doing your own thing’, come with your partner and stay in a one bedroom apartment and they can play a round of golf, have a swim or relax and you can meet up for dinner. So many Thredbo activities to do in summer, it’s ridiculous. Book now and get your book club annual getaway sorted.

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